Chinese Whispers
by OneBadCat
Summary: Max has to think about consequences and admissions when Alec hears about an unexpected action. For the Raising Hell prompt challenge November ; also a companion piece to my story Curare. characters - Max, Alec, and White
1. part one

**Chinese Whispers – part one**

"Stay with me!" he snapped.

She tried to open her eyes again, tried to obey his tense demand. But all she could manage was a weak noise before passing out.

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Max walked in to Terminal City's Command area, bruised, covered in dried blood and six hours after she was supposed to make radio contact.

Alec was leaning against the central table where most of the City meetings were held – no-one ever discussed where they were conducted but eight opinionated people will gravitate to the largest space for arm waving and heated debate so the consistent pattern was setting a precedence.

He looked troubled. And mildly curious. She waited, strangely calm.

"There's a rumour," he began, fiddling with a pen but keeping hold of her gaze, "That White gave you blood..." he let the question hang between them.

Max looked away; bit her lip; considered lying...

She nodded in confirmation.

"Why the hell would he do that?!"

She shouldn't smile. Max knew it would seem flippant, would give the impression that she didn't think the situation was serious. But they'd been through a lot – the Transgenic and the Familiar – and Max had tricked White into the responsibility of explaining things, so she couldn't help her lips curving just a tiny bit when she replied to Alec's outburst.

"You'll have to ask him..."

Alec frowned.

"What's going on? Something happened,"

"Nothing happened, Alec. Stop worrying." Max interrupted, which was enough to keep him digging. He shook his head at her denial.

"I'll find out," he warned. "It would be easier to 'fess up now. And I wouldn't be so pissed at the waste of time and resources..."

Max couldn't help the disbelieving snort.

"Since when have you cared about time!"

His expression turned sombre as he answered,

"Since you disappeared for two months and I took over your duties until you came back."

Max fought the rush of emotions at the memories. The smile disappeared, her voice soft as she pointed out,

"Now you know why I was on your case all the time."

"That's why I'm on yours now." His logic was as maddening as the smirk that was trying to climb onto his face.

"I'll tell you," she promised with a growl. "But first I'd quite like Mosh to check me out in Medical."

Alec nodded – he couldn't ignore the fact that things had been bad for her to need a transfusion. That it was _White_ who had donated blood, was simply a mystery that he would wait to get answers for.

But as he watched Max head to the Infirmary, Alec couldn't shake the feeling of premonition that he wouldn't like the answer she gave him...


	2. Secret : a prologue

Author's Note - this chapter (a prologue) written for Raising Hell prompt no. 19 : secret (way back, in the mists of time... :P )

**Secrets – a Prologue**

They didn't plan it this way.

In fact, if you had told them three months ago that this would happen, they would have laughed. And there may have been violence.

Max glanced at her companion, tied in the chair next to her. It was strange to think how much he had changed, in the short time she had known him. How short a time she had known him, for someone who was now such a constant part of her life.

And how well _did_ she know him, really? It wasn't like they'd ever sat down and had a proper chat. They'd exchanged some specific details of history, but he always brought the smart mouth out in her, and she seemed to only ever provoke him to inappropriate acts.

Max took this opportunity to look at him, despite the awkward angle of their current positions. _Really_ look at him...

He was beautiful. It was a fact that she always found hard to admit, always tried not to acknowledge – because it made her feel weird. His hair had grown long but despite the way it hung in his eyes, it wasn't enough to hide the bruises on jaw and cheek. A cut in his eyebrow had bled a thin trail down his face, a compliment to the split in his lip – swollen but already beginning to heal.

They'd really worked him over, and for some time – judging by the fatigue in his eyes. Max wondered if they'd kept him from sleeping to give him shadows _that_ dark, ringing the sockets, making him look hollow. Although given the wince as he shifted in his chair, maybe they'd starved him too, lowering his pain threshold, taxing his natural gifts.

And that had to have hurt the worst – that he could no longer rely on himself, his strength, during this unwanted experience.

Just as Max was beginning to wonder what the two of them were here for, what new and nasty form of torture the Conclave team would hand out today – and wasn't that disconcerting, that after weeks of keeping them apart, they were not only in the same room but sharing the same air as they sat tied to their chairs, close enough that Max could feel the heat rolling off his body and the tension that was slowly growing in him – he swallowed thickly and spoke.

"They say you're pregnant." His voice was rough, it cracked as though he'd said nothing for a long time.

She nodded, suddenly feeling shy. But she held his gaze as she told him,

"It's your baby, Ames."

And to her surprise, he grinned.


End file.
